How To Heal a Broken Heart
by eyelinermakesmesmile
Summary: When Liz's world is turned upside down, she doesn't know what to do with herself. She has her three closest friends, but will they be enough? Dean certainly hopes so. (AU. Disclaimer: I do not own any Supernatural characters. The only characters I own are the two OCs.)
1. Chapter 1

Her phone buzzed and played the annoying default alarm far too early for her liking. For goodness sakes, it was only five in the morning. But, that's just one of the perks of being a teacher. Liz taught second grade and it was nearing the end of the school year. She was happy with the performance of her students. She thought about how much growth they had made over the past year and smiled as she stretched her arms above her head. When her arms fell back down she accidently hit Lee, her fiancé.

"Sorry, love." She whispered and kissed his cheek. Liz got out of bed and shivered at the cold air hitting her skin. Getting out of a warm bed was not something that she enjoyed doing. But, what must be done, right? She walked into the bathroom, trying to keep her footsteps quiet. God only knows what would happen if she woke Lee up. He worked a rotating shift and was sleeping off some long hours. He probably would yell something incoherent from the other room and be grumpy for the rest of the day. Then, when she got home from work, she would never hear the end of it.

When she stepped into the bathroom, she flipped the light switch and looked in the mirror. Her natural curls were pointing in every direction and smudges of yesterday's eyeliner were around her eyes. She looked down her body and smiled. The tiniest little baby bump was beginning to show through her shirt and she began smiling wider as she thought about how in only eight more months, a little baby would be in the apartment. She was happier than she ever had been. Still smiling, she turned on the shower and took off her shorts and tank top.

While the water was warming up, she threw her pajamas in the hamper and straightened up the sink counter. Lee had a tendency to just haphazardly throw his aftershave, comb, and other manly stuff around, or in, the sink. That was one of her biggest pet peeves. She giggled to herself thinking about how if that was her biggest peeve, she had it pretty good in life. Looking in the mirror once more, Liz smiled at herself, promising herself that today was going to be a wonderful day.

Once the water was at the right temperature, she stepped into the shower. While letting the water run over her, she began thinking about what all needed to be done that day. Number one, she needed to get ready and get to school before the buses got there. If she had to hear those kids scream about her not being there to tell them "hey," one more time, she was going to lose it. Secondly, she needed to teach without getting distracted by Thomas. That child made her want to quit somedays from all of his outbursts and fits. Third, she needed to pick up some chips for the game tonight.

Oh, shoot! The game! Liz had completely forgotten that tonight was not just a game, but THE game. It was her alma mater's homecoming football game and she, along with some of her old college friends, were getting together to watch it. They normally spent Fridays together watching a game of some kind but Lee didn't like her going very much. She would never understand why. She was one of the guys in college so, naturally, there were all guys there. But they were like her brothers. She chuckled thinking about those idiots she called her best friends.

There was Cas. He was literally the most awkward person Liz had ever met. But he was the first person she met in college and the first real friend she had ever had. Liz stood up for Cas one day after their math class and they had become close friends very soon afterwards. Some douchebag pushed Cas into the wall and made fun his trench coat. So, Liz naturally said "Yea, well, you should see what he's hiding under that thing. He would put all of you to shame. Ain't that right, babe?" Cas just nodded and smiled at her, silently thanking her for drawing the attention away from the fact that he was cute-awkwardness personified. Cas enjoyed hanging out with Liz and invited her to spend some time with himself and his dorm neighbors.

They were brothers. The tall one intimidated Liz when they first met. His name was Sam and he was literally a giant compared to her. He had dimples and sweet personality, though, so Liz didn't feel too scared. It quickly became clear that he was a good-hearted, academically driven young man. While he and Liz didn't hang out much their first semester due to their schedules, they became incredibly close over the next seven. She had helped him ask out the girl of his dreams and they had together egged a frat house. He gave her advice on papers and she told him how to make his girlfriend actually have an orgasm during sex. He pulled the fire alarm for her to get out of an exam and she flirted with a professor to try and convince him to boost Sam's grade. They were proud of themselves and spent most nights watching cartoons, drinking beer, and laughing about all of the trouble they could get into. While they played pranks, made stupid decisions, and were drinking pals, their friendship wasn't quite as strong as the one she had with his brother.

Sam's brother was Dean. Dean. Ugh. That guy. Liz loved Dean to death and Dean loved Liz. But just as friends! That's where the "ugh" came from. Everyone thought they were dating and it was literally the worst thing about college for Liz. Dean was a senior when Liz was a freshman. He came back around to hang out with her after his graduation but to also hang out with his brother and Cas. That's not what everyone else saw. See, Sam and his girlfriend, Jess, lived together in an apartment and Dean didn't want to impose when he would come up on weekends. (Well, he said that, but Liz knew it was just so he didn't have to hear his brother and Jess banging.) Cas lived with his older brother Gabe and Gabe didn't really like Dean for some reason. So, Dean slept on Liz's futon. Her bed was lofted with the futon underneath and they would spend hours talking about how his new job as a body shop owner was going, how she couldn't decide what grade she wanted to teach, and which kind of nacho dip was the best. They were, and after five years still are, best friends.

Lee's snoring jarred Liz out of her memories and she smiled, turning off the water. She wrapped a towel around her hair and dried off with another. She would never understand why Lee didn't trust her with her friends. She was marrying him. She had never had a single inappropriate thought about any of the boys. Oh, well. Men. She shrugged off the thought and she began drying her dirty blonde hair. It fell past her shoulders and had, what she considered, too much curl. Her eyes were a bright blue and her lips were full. She was an above average looking woman, she supposed. But her baby bump made her have a certain glow that she liked.

When her hair was dry, she quickly got a curling iron and tried to make the curls she had work together to make an actual hairstyle. Once she got close enough, she began putting on makeup. When she started teaching, she had a fifteen-minute makeup routine. Now it was down to two. No one has time for makeup in an elementary school. Once she was ready from the shoulders up, she went to her closet. She stood looking for a while. One half of the closet was her work clothes; stereotypical teacher clothes like slacks and blazers. The other half was her comfy clothes; jeans, tank tops, plaid over-shirts, and faded band tees. Lee told her that she needed to move on from college. Until she hit thirty, she wasn't planning on putting a stop to her current wardrobe.

She settled on a pair of black slacks and a light pink button up shirt. She slipped on her flats, kissed Lee while he was still asleep, grabbed her bag and keys, and was out the door. Just like clockwork, at 6:00 AM, her phone lit up with a call from Dean. Ever since he found out that his "baby sister" was pregnant, he called her every morning to make sure she was okay and see how the baby was.

Liz touched the "accept" icon and lifted the phone to her ear. "What do you want?"

"Nice to hear from you, too, asshole."

"Shut up, dick."

The two of them laughed at their standard greeting. "So, seriously," Dean continued, "how are you and that future rock-star godson of mine?"

"I'm fine. But you're going to have to accept the fact that Lee isn't going to choose you over his own brother to be the godfather…"

"I spent my entire life-"

"No Godfather movie references or I will punch you through the phone." Dean laughed and Liz just rolled her eyes. "But, yea, I'm fine. Just tired. The baby seems fine. It's still the size of like a shrimp right now. Remember, we still don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"I'm pretty sure it's a boy."

"Oh, whatever. You just want me to have a boy 'cause you can't even get laid so you can have a kid."

"Whoa… ouch, Liz. Hurt me right in the heart." Dean chuckled and sighed. "Well, I just wanted to check in with you two. I have got to get a shower and you need to educate the young of tomorrow."

"Yup. Oh, I have a staff meeting after work today so I'll be coming straight over from there. I won't have a chance to change. So, I will be needing to steal some football appropriate clothing from you or Sam. I'm not wearing this shit all day."

"No problem. Sam's your best bet 'cause of the man boobs, you know?"

Liz laughed thinking about how Sam was just as fit as Dean, if not more. "Well, that is fine. See you tonight!"

"See ya!" Dean hung up the phone and put it in his pocket.

He smiled wide. He always did after he talked to Liz. She was his absolute best friend. He and Sam were brothers so they obviously were close. But Liz was… Liz. The rebellious college student turned domestic that he absolutely adored. But just as a friend! He got so frustrated when people thought that they were together. He didn't see Liz like that. Not at all. He would admit that she was hot but, again, she was Liz. She was like the younger sister he never had. He threatened the ex-boyfriends for her and tried his hardest to protect her. She was a wonderful person with a great mind and he never wanted to see her hurt. But, that's just part of being an older brother.

Dean turned back over in his bed, looking at the clock. He didn't need to get a shower yet. Hell, he didn't need to be up yet but he wanted to check on Liz and the baby. He still couldn't believe that she was pregnant. He didn't doubt for a second that she would be a good mom but thinking of the girl who once called a professor a "dickwad" to his face was not the first thing he thought of when he thought of the word "parent." Lee would be a good dad, too. Liz and Lee had been together for three years and Dean interrogated him to no end about his intentions. Finally, Dean determined that they were a good match and that he was happy for them. He really was. He was just jealous that he couldn't find someone that made him as happy as they made one another.

Dean rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head. He needed a few more hours before he was ready to go work on busted-up cars all day. He may have been the owner, but he just had one employee and that was his dad. So he still had to work his ass off. His dad, Bobby, had signed over the business to Dean when he graduated. They both ran the place equally, Dean would say, but it was technically his own business. He smiled at that. He had never really had much of his own considering his little brother. But this was good. This was really good.

When his eyes opened again, it was 8:46 AM. "Ugh…" He closed his eyes tightly and wished the clock back a few hours. The sheets felt nice around his muscles and his bed was the only place he really felt relaxed. He sighed before standing up and leaving the warm bed. He hated doing that. It was too warm to leave. He went to drain the main vein and came back into his room to grab some clothes to put on after his shower. He picked up the pants he had worn the day before and a shirt from the floor. When he was standing up, he saw that he had a missed call. It was from Lee.

"Weird…" He gave Lee a call back and was met with the sounds of crying and sniffling.

"Dean?!"

"Lee? What the hell is going on, man?"

"It's Liz. Something is wrong with the baby."

"I'm on my way." Dean threw his clothes on and shoved his phone in his pocket. He was out the door in less than a minute.


	2. Chapter 2

Liz didn't know what was happening. All she knew was that she was driving to work and her abdomen starting cramping horribly. She figured it was nothing and kept on going. The doctor had told her that cramps were common during early pregnancy. It was probably damn morning sickness showing up a little early. She knew she was going to hate this trimester. If this was normal- she didn't want to know what a bad day was like. She pulled into the school parking lot and smiled at herself in the mirror. It was going to be a good day. A wonderful day with her students and a wonderful game night with her friends.

Then she got out of the car.

As soon as she stood up, she felt dizzy and the cramp got worse. And that was all she knew.

She woke up to the sound of a constant beeping and a pressure on her hand. Her head was pounding. A strange mixture of cleaning products and a sickeningly sweet air freshener invaded her nose. She slowly opened her eyes and all she saw was white. White walls, white sheets, a white gown, and too many white machines. She felt like the only thing in the room with color was herself. She looked to her left and right, quickly recognizing where she was. The hospital.

"Lee!"

"Hey… hey, baby. I'm right here." He looked up from his lap, gave her a smile, and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "It's okay." She knew he was lying. If everything was okay, then why were there tear stains on his face? Why did her head hurt so badly? Why was she here?

"What's wrong? Why does my head hurt? Why does my stomach- is it the baby?" Liz searched his eyes for any answers. When his smile faded and his face dropped, she knew it was. "Lee. Tell me what happened."

Lee opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the doctor coming in. "Ms. James. I'm glad to see that you're awake." He looked at a white machine and smiled slightly. "It looks like your vitals are fine… You're going to be just fine. You had a nasty fall and hit your head on the sidewalk. You don't have a concussion, the wound is all stitched up, and you're going to be… you're going to be fine."

"What about my baby? My stomach feels like a bunch of knives." Liz felt her eyes getting warm as tears began forming at the thought of what the doctor may say..

"Your baby… ma'am…" He paused and walked closer to the bed, "Your pregnancy is what caused you to faint. There were some complications with your child. It's called a spontaneous abort-"

"Don't say it. Please." Lee asked the doctor and gripped Liz's hand tighter. So that was where the pressure was from. She hadn't even registered it.

"Ms. James, many pregnancies have problems within the first trimester. It is a very critical period for fetal development. It is not uncommon to have some problems. However, that does not make it easier for you, I know. I am very sorry, ma'am, but you have miscarried."

Lee's tears fell freely and silently as clenched his eyes shut. Liz just stared at the doctor and very quietly said "No."

"Excuse me, miss?"

"No." Liz was getting angry. "No, no, no! I did not miscarry! We're having a baby!" When her words registered in her mind, her anger quickly faded and was replaced by a profound sense of hopelessness. Her tears fell faster than Lee's. "We-we're going to have a baby…" She laid her head back and sobbed into her hands. She felt herself falling apart. Her baby. Her little baby. She wanted to be a mother more than anything else and she would never get to hold her baby.

A knock at the door made her look up from her hands. Dean.

"He's gone…" She started sobbing again. Dean made it across the room in two strides and sat on the bed. He hugged her close and tried to let his tears not show. He looked over at Lee and saw that he was doing the same. They were trying to be strong for her.

"I need some air. Now that she's not alone. I just need to get some air." Dean nodded at Lee and began stroking Liz's hair. "I'll be back soon, Liz. I'll bring you something to drink, okay?" Liz just nodded at her husband and kept crying.

Lee nodded to Dean, silently thanking him for his support. He slowly walked out of the room contemplating whether or not this was actually happening or it was all just a morbid nightmare.

Dean looked away from Lee's retreating figure and began quietly singing Liz's favorite song to try and calm her nerves. It always worked in college. "Carry on my wayward son… they'll be peace when you are done… lay your weary head to rest…"

"Don't you cry no more." Liz looked up at Dean and smiled slightly. She leaned back on her pillow and wiped her eyes. "You know, I think you were right. I think it was a boy…" She paused for a moment and sighed, "He'll never cry, Dean. He'll never feel any pain. He's never going to have his heart broken and he's never going to have to be sad…" She began crying again. "I'll never hush his crying or give him a bandage or tell his ex-girlfriend to go jump off a cliff or hold him… I'm never going to hold him, Dean." With that, Dean got up and told her to scoot over. He laid back on the bed as much as he could and held her close. She laid his head on his chest and sobbed silently.

"You're a strong woman, Liz. You're so, so strong." Her sobbing continued. "Lee will be back soon and he's going to take you home as soon as possible and you can eat all the cookie dough ice cream you want. One minute at a time, honey, one minute at a time."

Liz half-smiled. That's what she always told Dean after his mom passed away. One day at a time can be overwhelming. One minute can be a little more manageable. "Dean, I don't think I can go back there tonight. I mean, we were painting the nursery and we have gifts already in the house… I think I want to stay here tonight. Besides, with the headache I have I don't want to move."

"Yea, yea, of course. I'm sure that will be fine. You did take a pretty bad hit to the head. But I've seen you have worse injuries." He quietly laughed as he thought about the broken leg she had gotten her sophomore year from trying to crash a cheerleading practice. He came back to the present and stroked her hair and rocked her gently. "I love you, Liz. You're one hell of a little sister."

"Love you too."

"Hey. Why don't me, Sam, and Cas bring over some snacks and we watch the game from here? It will help get your mind off of things."

Liz nodded. "Yea, yea. That's sounds good. I haven't seen them in a whole week."

Dean shook his head, "How are you managing to go on without them?"

"Oh, it's hard…" her walls broke down again. "It's so hard…" He knew that she wasn't talking about missing their two friends. She sobbed into Dean's shirt and he rocked her back and forth until Lee got back in the room.

"Dean, would you mind giving Liz and I some time? She wasn't up long before-"

He cut Lee off, "Say no more, man. I totally understand." Dean kissed Liz's forehead and stood up. He walked over to Lee and hugged him. "I'm so, sorry, man. I'm so sorry."

Lee hugged him back slightly but pulled back. "Thanks, Dean. I appreciate it. Um, I heard you talking about getting the guys to come over. I think that's a great idea. She really needs all the support she can get."

"Yea, she does. We'll be over as soon as I can get them from work. Take care, Lee."

"You too."

With that, Dean walked out of the room and smiled back at Liz. He had known her for almost ten years and he had never seen her cry like this. In fact, he had only seen her cry twice; once when her grandmother passed away and once when Sam tickled her too much. At the thought of Sam, Dean took the elevator down to the parking level that his Impala was on. He ambled down towards his car thinking about how today was supposed to be a good day. Liz was supposed to get off work, trade in her slacks for lounge pants, and they were supposed to watch the game. He was supposed to go to work, hit on a few female customers, and make burgers for the game. His thoughts came back to reality when he unlocked the driver side door and got in. He put his hands and head on the steering wheel and sighed. He needed to go get Sam and Cas.

He drove down the road towards Sam's law firm fighting back tears. He was already working on baby proofing his house. He knew that Liz would come over with the little guy and he wanted to be a good "uncle". He wanted Liz to be a mom because he knew that's what she wanted more than anything. He shook his head and turned up some Led Zeppelin. What did she ever do to deserve this shit? He decided to just focus on the highway and the music. He couldn't acknowledge how much he was hurting for Liz, and for himself, in that moment.

He pulled into the parking lot of Sam's firm and almost ran to the door. He walked up to the secretary and asked for his brother.

She looked up from her computer and smiled a practiced smile. "I'm sorry, sir, Mr. Winchester is in a meeting right now. Can I take a message? I'm sure he will be able to call you after his two o'clock."

"Look, I have to talk to him-"

"Sir, we understand that your case is very valuable and we try our best to accommodate your needs but Mr. Winchester cannot be interrupted right now."

"Lady, I have to talk to him. I'm his brother, Dean. It's a family emergency."

"Oh." She put her hand over her mouth and quickly walked down a hallway to her right. She soon came back with a disgruntled looking Sam.

"What is it Dean? That is an important client and-"

"It's Liz."

Sam's face became serious and he stepped closer to Dean. "What? What's wrong?"

"Sam… man, she miscarried. The baby…" His eyes filled with water again and he looked away, clenching his jaw.

Sam turned to the secretary and told her to cancel all further appointments for the day and that he sends his apologies to the client he was currently with. "Well, let's go. Let's get Cas and some cookie dough ice cream."

The two brothers got into the Impala and sped down the road to Cas's place of employment, a telemarketing center. Sam's heart was breaking as he and Dean walked to the door of the building. How could Liz lose the baby? She had just had a checkup and everything was fine. Why did she of all people have to go through this? Sam walked up to the first person he saw and asked harshly, "Cas Novak. Where is he?"

"Excuse me?" The apathetic teenage intern looked up at Sam with boredom and ate a chip from the bag he was holding. Sam looked at him incredulously. This was obviously an emergency situation. How could this idiot not see that?

Dean stepped in and grabbed the teen's collar. "Where. Is. Cas. Novak."

"Uh…" The intern simply pointed down a hall. "Second door on the right."

The brothers ran in the direction he pointed and burst through the door. All twenty-something telemarketers looked up confused, and then got back to talking about their latest product. Except Cas. He walked over to the door with his eyebrows furrowed. "Gentlemen, the game does not start for another five hours. You cannot just come to my place of employment and-"

"Liz." They said in unison.

"What?" Cas's demeanor changed to that of slight curiosity and concern.

Sam spoke up first. "The baby…"

Cas saw it in Sam's face. The baby was lost. He put his hand over his mouth and walked quickly towards a man at the front of the room. After a brief explanation, he grabbed his trench coat and walked out with the other two men.

Sam and Cas drove their cars to a public parking lot and left them. They piled into the Impala and rode to the grocery store. They needed cookie dough ice cream and a lot of it. Operation "Cheer Up Liz" was a go.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean, Sam, and Cas got into the grocery store and they all split up. They all had a separate mission. Dean was to get the ice cream. Sam was to get comfy pajama pants and dark fingernail polish. Cas needed to get any school supplies he could find. Those were Liz's favorite things. If they were going to cheer Liz up, they needed more than just their wit and charm.

In the freezer section, Dean was freaking out. They didn't have her brand. Why the hell would they not have her brand? Today of all days, he needed her brand! He looked high and low but couldn't find anything at all. He ran up to a shelf stocker. "Hey! You! Where is Super Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream?"

The man looked at him quite like the intern from Cas's work. "Huh?"

"Super Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream! The box is black and white with blue letters. Where the hell is it?!" Dean was well aware of exactly what kind of ice cream Liz would want. He had been buying it for her since the second week of her freshman year.

"Um, I think it's on the end of a freezer aisle for display this week but-"

Dean cut him off by running down to the end of the aisles and searching for the magical treat. "Hah! I got it!" He grabbed two boxes of the frozen goodness and a box of spoons before jogging to the front of the store. He saw Sam with a pair of plain grey fleece pants and black nail polish. "Nice choice! You know she digs the black."

Cas walked up next holding a planner for the next school year, a new pack of colored pencils, and a coloring book. If there was anything that Liz loved more than ice cream and well-manicured nails, it was planning for school. "Dude, perfect." Sam smiled at Cas and they dumped all of their items on the counter. The three men stood impatiently as the cashier took far too long to check them out. Seriously, did no one in this town have a sense of urgency? The second that Dean's card was approved, they were out of the store and back in the Impala.

When they stood in the elevator at the hospital, they all came down from their "save Liz" high and began thinking about the issue at hand. No amount of ice cream, fingernail polish, or pencils would solve this problem. They didn't know if anything could solve this problem. None of them had lost a child. Hell, none of them even had a child in their family to be attached to. They had no one clue what to do.

When the elevator opened, it was hard for them to get out. What if Liz had gotten sick from all of this? What if she went into a depression? What if she didn't want to see them? What if the head injury was worse? What if, what if, what if?

They got out on the maternity floor and turned to go to Liz's room. "Guys…" Cas whispered and nodded in the other direction.

Liz was standing there looking into the window of the nursery. She was smiling faintly and tears were streaming down her face. Her eyes were slightly blackened from the fall and her head was bandaged. Her arm was wrapped around her waist and her other hand was covering part of her mouth. The hand around her waist showed that the gown was a size too large. It made her look vulnerable. Lee stood beside her with his arm around her shoulders. She looked tiny beside him. Tiny, frail, and broken. Even though he was only a couple of inches taller than her, today he seemed to tower over her. Sam, Dean, and Cas all looked at one another, not knowing what to do next. None of them had ever seen the great Liz James look so shaken.

They looked at one another, nodded, and slowly got the nerve to begin walking towards the couple. Sam sped up a little and got there first. Liz looked up at him and she smiled a little wider. "Hey…"

Lee stepped back to allow Sam to hug Liz close. "Hey." He felt her jerking in his arms as she cried and he felt himself having to hold back the waterworks. "I'm so, so sorry."

Liz stepped back and nodded her head. "Thanks. I appreciate it. Thank you for coming down. It's really sweet. But, it doesn't really fix anything, ya know? Don't get me wrong, I love that you're here. But I do fix this situation? Nice gestures don't make him come back… Guys… What if we never get to have one of these?" She asked, pointing to the babies in the nursery as she grasped Lee's hand. Sam looked down at his feet, realizing she was right. What if she miscarried not because of random, early pregnancy circumstances but because of an actual, chronic health problem? That thought scared him and he knew it scared Liz.

Cas took the opportunity to step up to her and patted her shoulder. "You will. You will have a baby one day and it will love you more than anything."

Liz shrugged and gave him a quick squeeze. She and Cas had never been very "huggy" with one another. But his sentiment meant the world to her, and he knew it. That was all that mattered. "Thanks, Cas."

Lee walked up to Dean and Sam and shook his head. Sam shook his hand, offering his condolences. Lee thanked him and explained the situation at hand. "Guys, she's really bad. I mean, after you left," he nodded towards Dean, "she's just been standing here crying. I don't know what to do. I can hardly handle this myself. But I'm not the one who had… who had a _life_ inside of me. I don't know what to do to help her. I mean she is literally breaking." Dean looked over at her and agreed. She was depending on the wall and Cas's hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling and she didn't look like Liz. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had on no make-up. Her hospital gown made her look just plain sad. That wasn't his Liz.

His Liz had beautiful hair and her make-up only added to the beauty that was her. She wasn't paper thin; she was a woman. She had a wonderful curve in her hips and an hourglass figure. She knew what she stood for and she didn't take any shit. Definitely not from Dean. She was perfect. She was his Liz. He shook his head. No, he knew he didn't love her in _that_ way but he still was a man. And he recognized how beautiful she was. In this moment, though, she was broken and she looked nothing like herself. And he had no idea how to fix it. He had always fixed things for her. He punched that douche Chance in the face when he tried to talk to her after cheating on her. He made her laugh when she was mad about Sam's various pranks. He fixed her car. He fixed her air conditioning. He fixed her damn toilet. But he had no idea how to fix her heart. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his name. "Huh?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "I said, what's in the bag, Dean?" She pointed to the grocery bag in his hand.

"Oh, yea, well… me and the guys thought you probably needed some stuff." He handed her the bag and she smiled.

"Let's go back to my room, okay?" The four men all nodded and followed the girl that they all loved so dearly. She sat down on the bed and smiled. "Alright… let's see here."

She opened the bad and poured its contents onto the bed. Her hands covered her mouth and she looked up at her three best friends. They smiled, knowing they had done a good job. She quickly stood and slipped on the new pants underneath her gown. She already felt more comfortable. To the men in the room, the baggy pants only made her look smaller and even more desperate for help. She looked through the other items and smiled. "You guys are awesome. But you forgot the ice cream."

"Oh, did we?" Dean asked, pulling a second bag from behind his back. Liz squealed with excitement and propped herself back on the bed.

"Let's eat some ice cream, boys!" She smiled at her friends and her husband. Maybe things would be eventually be okay. She knew she couldn't hold it together by herself but at least she had people who wanted to help hold her up. And she was taking it one minute at a time. This was a good minute.

All four of the men smiled, got a spoon from the bag, and attacked one of the boxes of ice cream.

Three hours and way too many servings of ice cream later, the game was about to start and the hospital room was filled with laughter. "No! No, no, no! That's not how it happened at all!" Liz protested and punched Sam in the arm.

"That was totally how it happened!" He quickly retorted.

"No, it wasn't! Okay, so here is what really happened. We were studying for our religion class we had together our sophomore year. That much he got right," she giggled before continuing, "so we were studying. And all of a sudden he just spits out 'I can't make Jess cum!' and I was just dumbfounded for a minute. At first I was thinking, why in the hell are you telling me this? We never talked about really serious stuff. But then I took pity on the big teddy bear." She paused, smirking at Sam's bright red face. "So, I ask him why he thinks this is. His exact words were 'I don't know. Maybe my dick is just too big.' And he was dead serious! I almost choked on my drink."

The room erupted with laughter and Dean pushed Sam on his arm. "Dude, when has a girl complained about that?"

"I don't know! Maybe it just… I don't know… Anyways, can we please just watch the game? It's almost kick-off."

Cas smiled, "Sure, but we will not forget about this just because of a good football game."

The group laughed again before Lee stood up. "Well, baby, you know sports aren't really my thing. Do you mind if I go grab some actual food from the cafeteria? Cookie dough ice cream is wonderful but I really need something on my stomach."

Liz rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yea, go ahead you big goof." Her smile fell as she took his hands in her own, "I love you, Lee. I love you so much and I have no idea what I would do without you." He smiled down at her and kissed her slowly. He pulled back and ruffled her hair.

"I love you too, baby." He hugged and kissed her again before walking out of the room.

Liz laid back in the bed and cheered as their team made a pretty impressive return. Sam was cramped on the small loveseat beside the window. Liz laughed internally at the sight of her mammoth of a friend sitting in such a tiny space. Cas was in a chair that he brought in from outside of the room. He looked a lot more comfortable than Sam. Dean sat on the foot of the bed, leaning forward as the opposing team threw an interception. They all cheered as a commercial came on.

"Scoot it, Lizzy." Dean smirked and sat beside her on the bed.

"It's Liz. Not Lizzy. Shut your face." She huffed and scooted to give him as little room as she could to irritate him.

"Whatever." He forced her to scoot over a little more so he could actually sit beside her instead of halfway falling off of the bed. When the game came back on, the other two men were instantly yelling about how a play should've ended with a flag. Dean looked down at Liz from the screen. "Hey," he whispered, "are you doing okay? Do you need anything?"

She smiled back up at him and nodded her head. "I've got my boys. And you."

"Oh, so, I'm not one of the boys?"

"No, silly. You're my Dean." She looked back towards the TV and yelled when their team fumbled the ball.

"And you're my Liz." He thought to himself and he smiled at the beautiful girl in his arms. It was a good minute.


	4. Chapter 4

Two months after the miscarriage, Liz was getting back into the swing of things. She had her summer routine down and she was planning lessons for the next school year. She was planning her and Lee's wedding and she was beginning to smile more genuinely. Once they had left the hospital, Liz and Lee had some difficulty adjusting to the yet-to-be-filled nursery and a life without having a baby to plan for. She had noticed Lee was drinking a little more but she really didn't think anything of it. He never got drunk and his personality hadn't changed. She supposed that was his way of coping with the loss. She had made some changes, too. Her eating had changed from not-so-healthy to super healthy. She was trying to prevent anything like this from happening again. And she had completely thrown herself into her lesson/wedding planning. That kept her pretty occupied.

After a busy day of grocery and school supply shopping, Liz came back home to Lee sleeping on the sofa. She smiled as she quietly closed the front door and walked into the kitchen. She put all of the groceries away and went back to sit in her recliner. When she saw Lee this time though, it wasn't quite as sweet. She saw what the sofa was blocking the first time: beer bottles. Eight of them. And a not-so-full bottle of Jack Daniels. She sighed and sat down. Time was clearly not healing his wounds. It was just making things worse. She understood though. It wasn't easy for her either. But she had something to focus on and to put all of her energy into. Right now, all Lee had to focus on was a stressful job working in a production line. That was not helping anything.

She fixed him a glass of water and sat it on the end table beside of the couch. She picked up the beer bottles and threw them away. She put the Jack Daniels in the cabinet. She washed the glass. She covered him up with a light blanket. She kissed his forehead. She liked taking care of him. So often it was the other way around. It was nice to able to make him feel safe and secure. Nonetheless, she had work to do.

Liz went into their bedroom where her lesson plans and scribbles were scattered all over the desk. She chose one to focus on but for some reason she could not. She kept thinking about Lee. It wasn't like him to get drunk. Not even at celebrations. It just wasn't him. So, why was he depending on alcohol now? Why wasn't he depending on her to help him? Was she not doing something right? She knew this was probably all in her head but she couldn't really help her thoughts. She sighed and looked up at the collage on the wall. Her and Lee after their first date; her and Lee kissing on her birthday; her and her boys laughing around a booth; her and Dean giving Sam "the look" after her spilled a drink on both of them.

That's what she would do. She would call Dean. Liz may be an honorary guy with her friends but she was still a woman. She needed a man's advice on what to do about Lee. Dialing Dean's work number, she settled further into her desk chair and began swiveling around. She knew he was on his lunch break and wouldn't mind talking.

"Singer Auto and Body. This is Dean, can I help you?"

"I don't know, can you?" Liz smiled and continued to spin slowly in her chair.

"Well, hey there stranger. I haven't talked to you in what? Two days?"

"Yea, I know. It's mayhem. Can you talk for a second?"

Dean rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. That was a stupid question. He always had time for Liz. "Yea, I think I can pencil you in."

"Great. So, I need man advice."

"I'm not giving you sex tips."

Liz just giggled. It made Dean's smile grow wider. "No, I need like… life advice, I guess. I came home today and Lee was passed out drunk. You know that's not like him. Do you think this is just his way of coping or do you think that… I don't know, something else may be going on?"

Dean furrowed his brow. That definitely was out of character for Lee. "My instinct says that since it's so weird for him to do something like that that he's just looking for a way to avoid everything, you know? I mean… it was his baby too. I sure as hell wouldn't know what to do. And I know I wouldn't mind sleeping some of the frustration off. Does that make any sense?"

"Yea, it does. I guess it just kind of scares me. Lee isn't a heavy drinker at all. I've only ever seen him drunk once the whole time we've known one another."

"I definitely see why that would be scary. But, too, you're eating healthy now. That's freakin' scary. Maybe you guys are just trying out different things to see what other options are out there." Dean honestly had no idea what to tell Liz about this situation but he hoped that his bull-shitting was not too obvious. He had never dealt with anything like this personally. He wasn't sure what to say to help her feel better.

"True, true. Anyways, I want to get my mind off of this. What are you up to?"

"Lunch and paperwork. After lunch, there's paperwork. I'm having to reorganize everything. I have to put everything in chronological order for some God forsaken reason. According to Bobby, it's so everyone can actually find everything. But I just think that he hates me."

Liz laughed at that. "Oh, he loves you. But, yea, you've never been the organized type, have you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Liz could hear his smirk through the phone.

"Well, I'm tired of writing lesson plans for today. Want me to come over and help you out? I don't mind."

Dean bit his lip, happy and excited to see Liz. "I mean, if it's no trouble. I could definitely use the help."

Liz twirled her hair unconsciously like a teenager at the thought of being with Dean. "Oh, it's no problem. I would like to get out of the house."

"Okay, well I'll see you soon."

"See you soon."

When the two hung up, they both sighed and felt much happier than they did before the phone call for some strange reason.

Liz stood up from her chair and gathered her things together. She scribbled a note down telling Lee where she was and left it beside the glass of water on the end table. When she stepped outside, she inhaled deeply. It was hot out but not humid, thankfully. Her flowers were blooming and the grass was a rich green. The sky couldn't be bluer. It was a good minute.

On the drive to Dean's shop, Liz began thinking about the mounds of paperwork that probably awaited her when she got there. Dean was organized. But he was the only one who understood his filing system. She thought back to when she attempted to help him study once. She always help Cas study and he recommended that Dean study with her as well for his senior finals. Well, Dean handed her a mass of papers and expected them to immediately start. After thirty minutes of organizing his notes, the two were finally able to study. Dean passed that exam with a higher grade than any other one that semester. Liz attributed that to her helping him get organized.

She was very thankful that she lived close to Singer Auto and Body. Nothing good was on the radio and she hated driving without some music. Pulling into the parking lot, Liz looked around and saw Dean waving at her from the shop. He wasn't wearing a shirt and had a towel hanging over his shoulder. Liz didn't understand why he didn't have a girlfriend. No, she didn't like him like that but she was a woman. She would admit that he was attractive. No shame there.

She stepped out of her car and smiled at him. "Trying to attract some female clientele?"

Dean just laughed and shook his head. "It's hot as hell out here in case you haven't noticed. I didn't want to do anymore paperwork so I decided to work on an actual car for once. I am regretting my decision."

Liz rolled her eyes and walked into the office that was located at the front of the building. She was thankful for the air conditioning and settled down in Dean' chair.

The back door to the office and she heard a scoff. "Get out of my chair, woman. Are you crazy?"

Liz spun around in the chair and stuck her tongue out at him. His shirt was back on and that made her a little sad. Lee didn't have a six-pack. It was fun to look at occasionally. "Absolutely."

"Well, at least you admit it. Alright, so, here is everything that needs to be organized." Dean motioned to a single filing cabinet. "Good luck."

"Oh, this doesn't look so bad." Liz laughed internally. One filing cabinet? This would be easy. She opened a drawer and her jaw literally dropped. Not only was the drawer full of files from front to back but stray papers were laid on top of the folders. Random invoices and receipts were smashed in between the different rails of the drawers. "Dean… Winchester…"

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down. "Is it really that terrible?"

"Yes!"

"Oh…"

"What? You said you needed my help so I'm here. Nothing to be too ashamed of."

"Yea there is. That's the drawer I've already organized."

Liz couldn't help but laugh at him. "Oh, honey. That is something to be ashamed of. Let's start."

Two hours later, the duo sat on the floor irritated at the small amount of progress that they had made. Liz shoved a few papers at Dean and almost yelled at him. "Why the hell do you need an electrical receipt from six years ago? I think you can throw this away!"

"No, I can't! He was a good electrician! What if we have problems again?"

"Save his number in your phone, dumb ass!"

"What if my phone gets smashed? What then?"

"For God's sake. Get a contact notebook and write it down in there. Or, you know, Google?! Consolidate, man! Consolidate!"

Dean began laughing. "You are way too passionate about organization."

Liz fought her smile. "Shut up, dick."

A few minutes passed in silence as they continued looking over papers. Liz came across one that said "Call me, Anna ;)" with a number attached. "Oh, snap!"

"What?" Dean looked up at her perplexed.

She waved the small paper and handed it to him. "Why are you not madly in love with her right now?"

"Ugh, do we have to do this?"

"Um, obviously. What happened? You never mentioned an Anna to me. Since when do you keep things from me?"

"It was one date. She didn't go out with me after that first one."

Liz was genuinely shocked. "What? Why?"

"It's embarrassing…" Liz urged him on and he groaned in protest. "We went… dancing… and you know I'm bad at that… and I tried dipping her at the end of the song. And failed. She… hit her head on a table and that was that."

Liz put her hand over her mouth. She tried to hold back the laughter but she just couldn't. "The great Dean Winchester defeated by gravity!"

"Oh, shut it! Like you're so great at dancing!"

"Well, I can slow dance. Which obviously you can't even do." Dean whispered something too quietly for Liz to understand him. "Hmm? What was that?"

"So, teach me."

Liz beamed and stood up. She grabbed her phone and put on a slower song. She helped Dean stand up and guided his hands to her waist. Her arms encircled his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder. "See, it's easy." Dean hadn't felt this good in a while. It was nice to have his Liz back. And to have her with him so closely. They swayed back and forth to the rhythm and Dean slowly felt himself relax into Liz's embrace. He stroked her hair and held her closer. "Now, try to dip me."

Dean did as Liz said and smiled when he succeeded. He looked down into her eyes and for some reason had the overwhelming urge to look down at her lips. She was biting the bottom one and was looking back at him. He pulled her back up but they didn't pull away from one another. His arms remained around her waist and her arms remained on his shoulders. Their noses were almost touching and both of them were feeling things they had never felt. They couldn't name the emotion.

Their train of thought was interrupted by a cough. Lee stood in the doorway. Liz jerked away from Dean and tried to stop Lee from walking out of the door. "Lee! It's not what you think."

"Really? You're pulling that cliché? Bull. You know, when we were expecting, I ignored the relationship between you two because there was question of who you were going to choose. But now, now I don't even know anymore."

"Lee, what are you talking about? He's just my friend-"

"Save it. Friends don't almost kiss their engaged friends!"

"Lee… please just listen."

"Why?"

"Because, I don't want you to leave."

"You've been here for a few hours and you looked happier in that moment than you have for the last two months with me. Why should I stay?"

"Because we love each other!"

"Yea. I thought that too." Lee stormed off down the road and Liz collapsed against the brick wall behind her. She couldn't control the tears streaming down her face.

Dean walked over to her and half-smiled. He sat down beside her and didn't say a word. He just took her hand in his and rubbed it with his thumb. Her cries became more audible as she laid her head over on his shoulder. "What did we just do, Dean?"


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: Hey guys. I am very sorry for the delay. Finals were awful. Thanks for being patient.**_

"What did we just do, Dean?"

He had no answer to give her. He had no idea what the implications were for what had just happened. He knew it started out innocently and it was just two best friends dancing around in the office. He and Liz were just playing around; enjoying some much needed relaxation from all of the frustration of their daily lives. They were just goofing around. And then he dipped her down and the music hit the right note and he could have sworn that her eyes were sparkling more than ever and her lips looked fuller than he had ever seen them. He didn't know if she felt the same spark he had but he wanted to find out. What the hell did they just do?

Liz took his prolonged silence to mean that he had no idea either. She supposed that the old saying was right: when it rains, it pours. Everything was getting back on track but, of course, it couldn't be that simple. Of course damn emotions had to get in the way of a good thing. Nothing romantic was supposed to happen between them. They were just dancing in his office. And then he dipped her down and the music hit the right note and she could have sworn that his eyes were looking into her soul and his lips looked deliciously tempting. What in the world was happening?

"Dean, what am I supposed to do tonight? There's no way that I can go back to our house and sleep in the same bed as him or on the couch. What am I supposed to do?"

That he had an answer for. "Stay with me."

Liz just chuckled. "I highly doubt that will help any part of this situation."

Dean sighed. He knew she was right and that they could never do that if she wanted to work things out with Lee. But, deep down, he really wanted to understand what had happened between them. He had never once looked at Liz as more than a friend and he was certain that she felt the same way. Something had happened in the office though and he liked it. He wanted to know more about why he felt that way. But he couldn't. He wouldn't be able to find out because Liz couldn't stay with him. She had to leave and sort her own thoughts out. She had to worry about her relationship with Lee. She didn't need Dean asking all kinds of questions. After she had time to think this through, he was sure that any weird feelings that he may have had would disappear. So, he just sat in silence.

A few more minutes passed of a somewhat comfortable quiet. Liz looked up at Dean and smiled so faintly Dean thought he may have imagined it. "Well, I guess I can go and crash with Mom and Dad."

"Sam or Cas would let you stay with them." Dean suggested this hoping he would be able to stop by and see her if she needed to stay for a prolonged amount of time. It wouldn't be weird for him to stop by Sam or Cas's place.

"Dean… I don't think being with them will make any of this better either. I think I just need to go to Mom and Dad's. Yea, that's a good idea. Get my head on straight and deal with this in the morning. Just clear my head and not worry."

"Yea, good plan." Dean hoped she didn't see his face fall.

If she had seen his dejected expression, then she didn't let it show. Liz stood up and tried to wipe off any mascara that had ran down her cheeks. She stretched her arms above her head and exhaled loudly. "Everything will be okay."

Dean stood beside her and smiled. She was such a strong person. And smart. And absolutely gorgeous… he stopped his thoughts quickly. In the office, the music had made him think that way. And out here, the moonlight made him think that way. It wasn't his actual emotions, it was just the damned situation. He decided to keep telling himself that until he was convinced. "Well, I'll see you later, Liz."

She smiled and gave him a quick squeeze. "Bye, Dean."

He watched her walk to her car and pull out of the parking lot. He already was missing her. What the hell was wrong with him?

When she down the road a bit, Liz screamed. She was so frustrated! What in the world had happened back there? Lee just took off and gave her no indication of whether or not he would come back. Shit, was this even worth fighting for? It would be so much easier just to turn around and go back to Dean. She quickly turned off that thought process. Of course Lee was worth fighting for. He was Lee. Dean was just a friend and she was comfortable with him. That's all that thought meant. She began thinking of all the reasons she was with Lee instead of Dean to comfort her.

Lee protected her.

Lee made her feel safe.

Lee was on her mind so much of the time.

But, Dean protected her.

Dean made her feel safe.

Dean was on her mind all of the time.

Lee had a temper; Dean had hugs and jokes.

Lee didn't have all of the same interests as she did; Dean did.

Lee clearly didn't trust her anymore; Dean did.

Lee left her; Dean didn't.

She couldn't turn around. She wouldn't let herself turn around. She had to be strong and resist going back there. If she went back, then she and Lee would never have a chance of surviving. If she went back, then she may stumble into the best thing that had ever happened to her. She couldn't. She shouldn't. She caused Lee to get mad and she understood why he was. But nothing would have happened between her and Dean. They wouldn't have actually kissed. Did Lee have that little faith in her? She decided it was best to keep on driving to her parents' house but for some reason, her car was making a U-turn and her eyes were looking for Dean' car in the parking lot of Singer Auto and Body within a few moments. But it wasn't there. He must have already gone home.

Without a second thought, Liz sped off in the opposite direction of her parents' house to Dean's.

Dean was stressed beyond all reason. He drove by his favorite bar, thinking about going in and picking someone up for the night. Get out some frustration and maybe have some luck with a relationship with someone else. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Something inside of him told him that was a very bad idea. It was somewhat out of character for him, too. So, he took the very long way home and tried to calm his nerves. The melodies of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC filled the Impala and soon enough, Dean was singing along. His heart rate was slowing down and his thoughts were floating to topics other than Liz. He began thinking of the car he was working on and how it would be finished soon. He thought about how Bobby had gotten mad at another employee, Ash, earlier and had attempted to curse him out. But Bobby was too nice to actually do it. It had been a good day at work, overall. Dean was smiling when he pulled into his driveway but it quickly faded.

Liz was sitting on the curb playing on her phone. Dean groaned and got out of the car. He had finally managed to get his mind off of her and she was at his home like nothing had even happened. "Hey."

She didn't say anything. She just put her phone in her pocket and patted the curb beside her. He followed her instruction and sat beside her. The plaid over shirt she was wearing was unbuttoned and was hanging loosely by her side. Her hair and makeup were a little messy but she still looked cute. Dean couldn't help but smile. "I definitely should not be here right now."

"Then why are you?"

Liz looked up at him with tears about to spill and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead she just pulled him into a tight embrace.

He mirrored her action and it felt like an eternity as they sat there with one another. "Liz… would you like to go inside?" He felt her nod her head against him. She stood, turned, and walked up to his door. He followed her and unlocked it somewhat clumsily. The second that there was room to squeeze into the house, Liz walked over and laid down on the couch.

"Can I sleep here tonight, Dean? I know it's not the right choice, but…"

He smiled and walked over to her. "Of course. I don't think it's the best idea, either but… how can I say no to you?" He gave Liz a lame smile and stood beside the sofa. "But sit up, I want to sit down for a while, too."

Liz just lifted her head up enough for Dean to slide down on the couch. She laid her head in his lap. They had spent many nights like this watching TV or arguing about sports. But this time was different. This time, Dean had to fight the urge of playing with her hair or holding her hand. She had to resist covering them up with a blanket and snuggling closer. "I shouldn't be here."

Dean nodded. "Then why are you?"

He looked down into her eyes and that fire from in the office was back. She stared back at him, biting her lower lip. He brushed her hair away from her face and she sat up so there faces were just inches apart. Dean touched his forehead to hers and he heard her breathing increase. "I'm here because… something happened in your office and… I want to know what it was."

Dean pulled back. She felt it too. It wasn't just him. It wasn't the song or the moonlight. It was _Liz_. Something was different between them and it wasn't one sided. "What did you feel?"

She sat all the way up and sat facing him. "I don't know. I mean, you're my best friend and I love Lee but then you dipped me and the world just… stopped."

Dean nodded, trying to fight every urge in him. He wanted to kiss her. And hold her. And take her in his room. And wake up with her the next morning. But he couldn't. Now was not the time. "Yea… it was definitely something."

She just nodded. "I want to understand what happened but I the same time I just kind of want to get my mind clear, you know?"

Dean chuckled. "I know exactly what you mean. Tell me about work. How are lesson plans going?"

All of a sudden, Liz's demeanor changed. Lee didn't normally ask about her lessons and she was excited to talk about them. "Well, right now, I'm working on science lessons. Those are my favorite ones to write because I can throw in some really fun experiments and projects. Most kids enjoy science and that makes it even more fun to teach. I'm working on our solar system unit right now. I really think-" She stopped talking and looked into Dean's eyes. He was smiling and nodding. He was listening. That was nice.

"Go on, what do you think?"

She let out a breath and laughed lightly. "I think that this my best unit so far. I was able to incorporate a lot of other subjects into it so content is being reinforced. I mean, I am really happy with how everything is going."

"That's awesome. How many more plans do you have to make?"

"Well, my social studies unit plans are done and my science units are almost done. But, as far as reading and math, I really need to see what the kids need before I go write in depth plans. I have my first week's plans done though, and I think it's going to be a great year."

Dean couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. She was so passionate about her career. She genuinely cared about her students and she loved her job- runny noses and all. He loved his cars but he didn't think he would ever get as excited about it as Liz was about her job. She was a different person. A good person. His person. His person that had literally been there every moment of the last ten years. She had been in almost one-third of his life. And he had to say, the times with her were much better than the times without.

"Well, Liz, I am happy to hear that. So, the guest room is made up and I think some of your clothes are in there from the last football game we all watched together. It's all yours."

Liz smiled and stood from the couch. She looked down at Dean and smiled. "Thank you, Dean. Did you know you're the best friend that I've ever had?"

"I had an idea." Dean stood beside her and took her hands in his. "You're going to get through this, Liz. If anyone is tough enough to get through everything that life has thrown at you the past few months, it's you."

She squeezed his hands tight and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

He blushed at the touch and half-smiled. "You're welcome. Now, go get some rest."

She nodded and walked to the stairs. When she was walking up the stairs, she stopped halfway up and looked back at him. "You know, I've never had a bad minute with you."

"I know the feeling."

They shared a smile and Liz walked up the stairs into the guest room. What was happening?


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello, everyone. I would like to apologize for 1) this delayed chapter and 2) the length of this chapter. This is a shorter chapter that leads to much more exciting things! Please leave reviews and let me know where you would like to see included in the story. I'm always open for ideas.**_

 _ **Thanks,**_

 _ **-**_ E

* * *

The ticking of the clock kept Liz from falling asleep. Well, that and her plethora of thoughts. What was going on between her and Dean? Why did she make the decision to come here instead of her parent's home? What was she going to do next?

She decided that the only way to make any progress with these problems was to remove emotion from them and think logically. She had to begin thinking objectively. She could not let stupid chick-flick emotions ruin her relationships. So, why did she come to Dean's instead of her parents? Simple. Her parents would have freaked out. Yup, that was why. They would have wanted her to talk about her feelings and explain what exactly was going on. They probably would have taken Lee's side in the whole thing. They always thought Dean was a bit of a bad influence. Heaven only knows why. Probably because he was a mechanic and didn't see himself changing careers anytime soon. So that's why she came here. She didn't want to have to explain anything to them. She didn't need to explain herself to anyone. She just needed to have some company. She didn't go to Sam or Cas for the same reasons. They would want answers she couldn't give them.

What was she going to do next? Well, she needed to thank Dean for letting her spend the night and she needed to talk to Lee. Liz knew that both she and Dean had felt something when they danced but she was a loyal person. Even if she had fallen in love with Dean, or anyone else for that matter, she would never act on it because she was engaged to Lee. She loved him and she just got caught up in the heat of the moment back at the shop. Hell, two months ago, they were starting a family. That whole incident just messed with both of their nerves. She needed to talk to Lee and explain herself. He didn't really give her a chance to do that the previous night.

Then the million dollar question floated back in to her mind: what was going on between her and Dean? Nothing. Nothing was going on between her and Dean. They were just overcome with emotion, which they rarely were, and didn't know how to act on it. The world "stopped" as she had said because she hadn't been touched like that in a while. Lee hadn't been willing to do much in bed since the incident and Liz wanted to give him his space. He needed time to heal just like she did. It felt nice to feel safe and accepted. That was why her feelings started showing towards Dean. She needed to feel safe and she hadn't felt that lately with Lee. She needed to be comforted and Dean did that very well.

Liz rolled over in bed and hugged the pillow close to her. She smiled. Tomorrow, everything would be better. She had figured out everything and the next day, she was going to go home, explain herself to Lee and they would go back to their happy lives. Dean would understand her reasoning. She was sure that he felt the same way she did in that moment: confused. She knew that he had no feelings for her. He just wanted someone to make him feel safe too. He would find that person someday. No problem. Tomorrow was going to fix everything.

Dean stared at the ceiling. His thoughts were much more concise than Liz's. A simple phrase ran through his mind on repeat and he couldn't make it stop. _I love her. I love her. I love her._

Liz woke up to the sunlight creeping in the window over the bed. Pulling the pillow over her head, she groaned loudly. That bed was super comfy and she really didn't feel like sitting up. Regardless, she sat up and stretched her arms above her head. She wasn't used to waking up to a cold bed but it was okay. That would be the last time that happened. Today was going to fix everything. She pulled on some jeans and skipped down the stairs. As she stepped into the living room, she could smell coffee brewing and she heard Dean humming Metallica.

"What are you nervous about?" She asked as she hopped up on the counter.

"Huh?" Dean hadn't even heard her come in.

"You were humming Metallica."

"Oh…" He hadn't realized that either. "Just a lot going on at work, ya know?" Dean smiled as Liz nodded her head. Thank goodness she bought his lie. He was freaking out about what to say to her this morning.

"Stupid organizing." Liz smiled and yawned. "Pop tarts?"

Dean walked over to a cabinet and looked around. "Hot fudge sundae or s'mores?"

Liz gasped and held her hand to her heart. "Do you not remember? Shame on you."

He just rolled his eyes and tossed her a s'mores. "So, Liz, I want to talk to you about something." _I love you_.

"Yea, same here. You go first." Liz tore into the pop tart packet and put them in the toaster.

"No, no, mine can wait," _I love you, "_ what's up?"

"Well, fine. I'll go first. I did a lot of thinking last night about everything that happened. I really think we got caught up in the moment, ya know? I mean, you're my best friend in the entire world and that's all I've ever wanted us to be. I know you feel the same way. We're just friends. I think we both were just a little lonely and wanted comfort where we could get it. But I really want to work things out with Lee. I mean, I still love him… we're still engaged, right? Right. I know you only see me as a friend and I only see you as a friend. I really think today will be a good turning point for me and Lee. Just let him know how important he is to me. And you're important, as my friend." Liz smiled at Dean, hoping that he would tell her she was exactly right and she had nothing to worry about. Everything would be okay.

Dean gave a small smile. "Yea, I mean, we're just friends." _I love you. I love you. I love you._ "You and Lee are good together." He paused and took a sip of coffee. "Go get him. Be happy, Liz. You deserve it." _Please don't leave me._

When the pop tarts were done, Liz wrapped them in a paper towel. "Well, I cannot let this go on any longer than it already has. Dean, Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for letting me stay here while my hormones decide to screw with me. You're a great guy. You're such a good friend." She kissed his cheek and walked to the door. "Oh! What were you going to tell me?"

 _I love you._ "Oh, basically the same thing. We just got caught up last night and we've got our priorities straight now." _Please don't buy my bullshit this one time. Please don't leave. I love you._

"I'm glad we're on the same page. I'll see you later!"

The second Liz walked out of the door, Dean's fist hit the wall. How was he going to explain that one to Sammy when he came over next? What the hell was he going to do? He couldn't take her happiness with Lee away. Dean didn't deserve her, did he? No, of course not. He was just a mechanic. He would never be able to provide for her the way that Lee did or offer the lifestyle she had grown accustomed to. He had to let her go. That was the only way for her to be happy.

Liz smiled as she bounced down Dean's walkway to her car. She climbed in and cranked up. Classic rock began playing and Liz's smile grew. Nothing like some Van Halen to put her in a good mood. She looked at the clock, seeing it was 10:30 AM. She decided that she should call Sam. It was a Saturday. Maybe the two of them, along with Jess and Lee, could go out for some lunch. Some much needed couple time.

She backed out of the driveway after dialing Sam's number. He picked up on the third ring. "Sam Winchester of Winchester and Edlund Law Offices. How can I help you?"

"Wow, Sam. So you seriously answer every call like that?"

He chuckled. "Sorry, force of habit. What's up?"

"Well, Lee and I had a little spat last night. Not a huge deal. So, I am going to take him out to lunch after a while to try and make up and I was wondering if you and Jess would want to join us?"

"I'm game, hold on and let me ask Jess." Liz held the phone away from her ear as Sam yelled to what sounded like the other end of the country. _Jess, do you want to go out to eat with Liz and Lee? You need a break from the Netflix binge, hun._ "Yea, sure, we would love to go. How about I swing by your place around 11:30 so we can get to the diner before it gets super crowded."

"Awesome. See you then!" Liz hung up the phone and continued to drive with a smile plastered on her face. Nothing was bringing her down today. She and Lee were going to make up and go out to eat and have great make up sex when they got back.

A few minutes later, Liz pulled into her driveway. She yawned as she put her sunglasses up, turned the radio off, and stepped out of the car. She all but skipped up the driveway. The lights were off and she smacked her forehead. Lee was probably still asleep. She hadn't checked his schedule for this week but she knew that he was switching to second shift sometime soon. She was going to have to call and cancel on Sam and Jess in a few minutes. So, as quietly as she could, she unlocked the door and set her purse down. She hung the keys on the wall hook and removed her shoes. The house was quiet except the running of the shower.

Liz smiled again, knowing Lee would be awake and ready to go out. She bit her lip and decided to sneak up on him in the shower. He liked stuff like that. And after last night, she really wanted to show him how sorry she was.

She cracked her knuckles and walked towards their room. She was going to fix this. She opened the door and her smile immediately fell. "Who the hell are you?"


End file.
